Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

As I mentioned, last I spoke, Paul shared truth that was revealed to Him by God.

He had great respect for his colleagues in ministry, the other apostles, but Paul’s submission to High authority was to God above anyone else.

If you read Acts and Romans, lots of his pushback came from Jewish believers who often felt slighted by Paul because of his actioned push to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

He’d receive criticism rom gentile believers as well, wondering why Paul showed such respect to the Jews as well, and why he always seemed to be heading back to Jerusalem.

Paul did not get into this business of ministry to impress people, appease people, or to be liked by everyone.

Paul had been called by God away from his former life of persecuting Christians, to becoming the persecuted, and became one of the greatest evangelists, the world has ever seen.

In reading the writings of Paul, a collection of 12 books in the NT, largely a collection of letters to churches he had either planted or was connecting with, you will find his inspired writings were governed by expressing much needed pastoral care based on the expressed needs of the people, his listeners.

Paul was a Christian pioneer.

Please open your Bibles to .

We will begin today’s exposition in verse 1.

Last I spoke, I shared Part 1 of our Writings of Paul series.

We talked about Paul’s topics of Joy, Faithfulness.

and largely debunked perfectionist theology, by the writings of Paul himself.

One of the reasons I have chosen t focus on Paul’s writings for 3 sermons, (which lets be honest I could have easily said 15 sermons) is reveal and exposite Paul’s intention and context in his writings.

By the enemy’s bidding, people have, for centuries, twisted Paul’s writings into excusing evils such as slavery, abuse, and inequality.

When discussing with people of that mindset, my friends we don’t have to run from or hide from difficult texts in scripture.

Let scripture interpret scripure and always seek to practice exegesis in your study of scripture, not eisogesis, (which is misapplying scripture to topics outside its intent).

Exegesis, exposes context and helps determine intent.

Today we won’t hide from hard topics but address them directly.

While we will once again be bouncing around texts from Paul’s writings, we will be exploring largely and 5, and examining topics such as Unity, Love, and Submission.

Before we begin, lets invite the Lord’s spirit to be with us as we journey into the Word.

Please open your Bibles to .

We will begin today’s exposition in verse 1.

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Notice the balance in which Paul instructs here.

Paul’s remark urges his readers to live in harmony with their calling from which they have received.

He is addressing the believers specifically in their proclaiming of the gospel as well as correction of other believers.

The easiest tendency is to live out this instruction partially.

I would submit, Paul is suggesting, it’s not just about living righteously as possible, but in helping others there must be a tenderness and humility involved.

Even in living under the convictions that God has called us to, it is very easy leave out the patience it takes.

I am not a parent, but I sure have been the kid being raised.

I am sure that I wore my parents patience down many times.

As I grew older, I matured (for the most part).

My parents didn’t give up on me as a youngster, because their love for me always trumped any feelings of being ready to wash their hands of me.

I was their blood and always, no matter what would I be a part of their family.

Verse 3 instructs followers to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.

That sure sounds like a family to me.

Look at verse 4.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul here, speaking with authority as well as encouragement toward gentiles and Jewish believers alike speaks of the body referring to the whole church of believers, remembering there is 1 God who is Lord over the church body.

This concept of a what the church body looks like and how it should function drawn out though out the book of Ephesians.

Paul makes the point that I would like us today to remember as one of our key bullet points.

Our church body, and church family is to remain UNITED by living by the Spirit.

I’ll be the first to tell you that is not easy to do, that is why I say, living by the Spirit, and not by our own merit.

You would expect in a large church body of 300 to 400 in attendance every sabbath, that not everyone is going to have 100% all the same views on everything.

Issues are going to arise.

But surely a small close knit group of saints such as yourselves would never find any strife amongst you.

;) If this wasn’t my 4th year of serving as pastor hear, I might fall for someone’s assertion that things are always hunky dory here.

I know that Paul doesn’t simply mean that everyone should get a long, and thats what unity means.

No it goes much deeper than that.

God wants us all to find the truth he has outlined in scripture for us.

But how can we find that without being spirit led?

How can we find that when we are more concerned with being “uniformed” rather than united?

What I mean by that is when we lose our patience and then begin to condemn and slander each other, we cripple our ability to find the bond of peace.

Another point I would like to submit, because of the uniqueness of spiritual gifts that God has for each of His children, we as a church body/church family are stronger united than grouped off in different classes.

Somehow we as a world church have allowed ourselves to separate into different classes so far a part it sometimes doesn’t even feel like we are a part of the same church family, same church body of believers in Christ Jesus.

We have generational classes, worship style classes, racially segregated classes, and cultural classes.

My experience has been that most individual church bodies have a little of most sprinkled into each body, but typically one overwhelming majority within each class of believers.

Sadly because we tend to fear the chaos of joining together and bearing each others burdens, we remain separated into our classes and don’t have the unity God is calling us to.

Move down to verse 11.

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I would submit that each member of the body, or each class that we have separated ourselves into has something different to offer, but essential to offer.

There are parts of the body, that look and act differently because their spiritual gifts and calling are different.

They may be different but that does not mean they are less important.

We must learn to find harmony with each other and cut out the ridicule.

I’ll give you an example: One person I know, wanted so badly to reach the younger generation, so he started a young adult small group.

At first his local church was so supportive of him and his group, until his group started growing to a point that the amount of young people and now young families were drawing numbers comparable to their own.

Rather than affirm a Spirit empowered ministry.

The church voted to give less to this ministry thinking it should fund itself.

Now I’m sure it was rationalizing it was teaching this group a lesson to stand on its own feet, but what I really think the problem was.

This group was not viewed as being a part of the church because its leaders weren’t really a part of it.

They were not united in mission.

Eventually this group did split and become its own church and some might say praise the lord, but from what I understand both groups suffered from the lack of unity.

I look at Paul’s writings, and his example which again was taken from Christ’s own example was to disciple leaders.

Paul had intergenerational relationships and continued to write churches he had planted offering wisdom and help.

This is not suggesting we can’t call sin by its name and that correction is not needed at times, I am suggesting the spirit of correction needs to be with the intention of building up and growth, not while angry and definitely not just because it does not agree with your own personal preference.

Correction must be spirit led, and if you are still confused as to what that looks like, take a look at the fruits of the spirit from (more writings of Paul).

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In verses 17 through 24 Paul warns his listeners to abandon living as the heathen gentiles are living which translates to us to not live in worldliness.

Paul reminds them of their baptism commitment from old man to new man being reborn in Christ and living accordingly.

He does however warn against this temptation to be overly critical and describes something very similar to Pharisee during Christ’s time.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

26 “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

The devil absolutely loves to divide God’s people by exploiting their anger, and naivety to their own feeling of self-righteous attitudes.

When we are Spirit led, discernment is used in correction.

Verse 31

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Personally I don’t think we can be good correctors if we are not willing to be corrected ourselves a few times as well.

That is how all our separate classes of Seventh Day Adventist Christians might find unity if we are willing to be humble and become students of the word again and allow for more growth.

I believe Paul’s messages to the believers in Ephesus, Galatia, Corinth, and so on are necessary for us whether we are identified as a conservative, liberal, republican, democrat, independent, elderly, teenager, young adult, middle aged, red, yellow, black, or white, well read in the scriptures, or a new believer.

We all are playing a role in the body of Christ, and may we not, as it says in verse 30, grieve the Holy Spirit any longer, with our bickering and ridiculing each other anymore.

The last bullet point for you today is, May we find unity in what binds us, our belief and faith in Jesus Christ as our savior.

Mrs. White comments on Paul’s writings in the passage we’ve been looking at today in the precious book, “The great controversy” Its a quote I have previously shared, but I think today is as appropriate as ever to share again.

“If God's professed people would receive the light as it shines upon them from His word, they would reach that unity for which Christ prayed, that which the apostle describes, "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."